Things to Do in Buffalo, New York: Buffalo Zoo

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Located in the beautiful setting of Delaware Park, the Buffalo Zoo is a deep and immersive dive into the natural world we inhabit. Home to a wide range of endangered, exotic, wild, and wacky animals, the zoo is sure to grab the heart and mind of any nature-loving visitor.

It’s not just animals on exhibit though, as the zoo also offers a wide range of educational lectures, daily scheduled talks on the various different animals, interactive feeding times, wild workshops, and spring and summer camps. They have various outreach programs offering locals and visitors the chance to experience the life of a zookeeper and conservationist. They work closely with the local schools to offer educational programming, both in the zoo and in visiting workshops.

In addition to the more educational roster of programming, there is also an interesting array of entertaining events offered by the zoo. Every month they have an ever-changing schedule of engaging activities within the grounds, often held to fundraise for important conservation efforts the world over, such as Bowling for Rhinos and Wines in the Wild, when the zoo opens late for an exciting food and drink festival!

As can be expected, it’s the animals themselves that steal the show, and the Buffalo Zoo has a huge menagerie of creatures and critters housed within the grounds. The layout of the zoo is fairly intuitive and so you can find your way from one exhibit to the next with reasonable ease. Whether you’re laughing along with the cackling hyenas, shivering from the scary hissing of a snake in the reptile house, or waddling over to the penguin tank, you are sure to find yourself immersed in the wild world of the zoo.

The zoo offers the opportunity for patrons to donate, become a member, or sponsor animals, and every penny collected through these means goes to looking after and treating the animals in the zoo to the best quality of life possible as well as funding ongoing conservation efforts across the globe.

Parking is available at the zoo itself but costs $5 and you must buy a token in order to leave the car park upon exit. All expected facilities are available onsite and the concessions stand is surprisingly varied, tasty, and reasonably priced. Perfect for those planning to spend the entire day at the zoo!

Admission and Opening Hours

Standard tickets cost $10.50, a senior ticket for those 65 and above is $8.50, children under 2 are admitted free, and children between 2 and 12 are charged at $8. Members are admitted free of charge. There is a small additional discount if you pre-book your ticket online.

Buffalo Zoo is open 7 days a week from 10:00am to 5:00pm; the last admission to the park, however, is at 4:00pm. They are closed on major public holidays and have early closing times on selected other occasions; keep up to date with their scheduled hours by checking their website.